Why Does The Army Wear Flags Backward?

By Lisa Burgess

Stars and Stripes

European Edition

Only if the American soldiers were running away from the fight would an enemy see the stripes to the right and the canton to the left. And that's why soldiers wear their flag patches "backward" -- because retreat in battle, as any soldier will tell you, is not the Army way.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- S&S
Why do American soldiers wear the U.S. flag insignia "backward" on the right shoulder of their utility uniforms, with the canton (the correct name for the rectangle with the stars) on an observer's right?

It's a question that soldiers hear frequently as they travel through civilian airports, or talk to members of other services.

And it does look "wrong," because U.S. federal code calls for the canton to always be positioned to an observer's left.

The soldiers aren't wrong, however, and neither are their tailors, Lt. Col. Stanley Heath, an Army spokesman, explained in a Friday telephone interview.

(More: Military.com / Military Headlines)

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Dan